Conferences & Concerts

I love it when Sister Howell updates the MMM Blog (Minnesota Minneapolis Mission Blog). I'm always sure to find pictures of Elder Forsyth... Here is Elder Forsyth singing "O Holy Night" during a Christmas Fireside at the mission home on December 12th. Elder Payne, his companion, is his accompaniest.

(below) This was taken 2 days later at a Christmas Conference. Elder Forsyth & Elder Payne are in the second row from the top on the right hand side. Elder Forsyth is fourth from the end, Elder Payne is 3rd.

(if you click on the picture, you can enlarge it) :D

Elder Richard Hinckley and his wife visited with the missionaries

of the Minnesota Minneapolis Mission last fall.

Here they are (center) with President & Sister Howell (left)

Elder Payne, Adam's companion, is on the far right.

(this is the first time I've seen a picture of him)

ZONE LEADER CONFERENCES

(we'll have a little fun and see if you can pick out

Elder Forsyth's handsome face from all the other handsome faces)

Okay - I have to be honest and say that I don't like Zone Leader

Conferences. I'm really glad that Elder Forsyth gets to go and get such

great training from President Howell and others,

BUT...

... it means that Missionary Email MONDAY

turns into Missionary Email THURSDAY.

I'm always SO excited on Mondays to hear from Adam, but as the day wears on, and there's still no email after I've checked my inbox, oh about 25 times... I realize its because Elder Forsyth is at another ZL Conference, and I won't hear from him for a few days. So if you see Tina moping around on Tuesdays & Wednesdays, you'll know WHY!

(So, did you spot Elder Forsyth in the 3 pictures?)

A great big THANKS to Sister Howell for doing such a
great job on the Mission blog!

Transitions & Transfers

Zone Leader Conference - October 2010

Elder Forsyth is standing, 4th from right

Hmong New Year 2009/2010
St. Paul, MinnesotaElder Hill & Elder Forsyth with Pa Ngia, Yer & Ia Her

The Hmong Elders and some pretty Hmong girls

at the LDS Missionary Booth

The Hmong New Year's Celebration attracts about 100,000 Hmong every year, and the missionaries always set up a booth. The Hmong are always interested in these missionaries who can speak their language. Every year, a number of new contacts and baptisms happen because of the introductions that are made at Hmong New Year. Elder Forsyth was very pleased to be asked by President Howell to organize and oversee the missionary booth this past New Year. It gave him a chance to be back among the Hmong and practice his language skills.

This is Mee and her girls.

Elder Forsyth had the privilege of teaching them the gospel before he left St. Paul. Mee's husband also began taking the discussions and was changing his life, but had to go to jail for some time. Mee and her oldest daughter decided to be baptized, and was baptized by her cousin, Toua Her, who you see in the picture below. One of the greatest blessings that has come from Elder Forsyth's mission is to see those that HE taught and baptized, go on to receive the Priesthood and be able to use that priesthood to bless others. Elder Forsyth is hoping and praying that Toua will choose to serve a mission.

The wonderful Her family

of St. Paul, Minnesota
Taken the night before Elder Forsyth was transferred.

A lot has happened in the four months since Elder Forsyth's mom has neglected his blog. The biggest news is that President Howell transferred Elder Forsyth (temporarily) from the Hmong to English speaking missionary work. Elder Forsyth was transferred to Maple Grove, which is a medium size city of about 65,000 people, with 94% of them being white, and only 3% Asian... This has been a HUGE adjustment for Elder Forsyth, and his first few letters home expressed that he felt "way more homesick for the Hmong people than he ever did for home" (St. George, UT).

His transfer came as a surprise to us at first, too, but we soon realized/remembered its probably a good thing to know how to preach the gospel in English as well as in Hmong, and his calling as a missionary had more to do with serving the Lord than serving the Hmong... though he's definitely been doing both. Despite his transfer to Maple Grove, which has a very strong ward of about 300 active members, Elder Forsyth has been able to go back into St. Paul for several important events there. The best of of which was the baptism of Tong Her, the 6th member of the Her family to be baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which tips the scales in their family to 6 members, 5 non-members.

MAPLE GROVE:

In his new area, since his transfer, Elder Forsyth has seen one young sister (age 16) come into the waters of baptism. He is finding the work in Maple Grove to be very different and more difficult. He writes that the Hmong are so easy and friendly, and so willing to invite the missionaries in. They are amazed that someone would leave their homes, come to their city, and learn to speak their language. However, in Maple Grove, even though the ward is very member missionary oriented, there just isn't much interest among the people in the city to listen. They end up with many doors slammed in their faces. Its definitely a growing experience for Elder Forsyth. He awaiting the miracle in Maple Grove, and has faith that there are individuals and families there that he is supposed to find. He has loved serving with his new companion as joint Zone Leader, especially as Elder Payne is a concert pianist and the two have been able to give a few mini-concerts of sacred music with Elder Forsyth singing and Elder Payne on the piano.

A heart prepared to learn

The following was written by Sister Howell on the Minneapolis Mission blog at mmmmiracles.blogspot.com on July 31, 2010:

"Last night Elder Vang and Elder Forsyth were planning to find out where to tract a couple of hours the next day. In response to Zone Conference training, they prayed and picked out 5 streets or so a piece, comparing their choices and discerning through the spirit where they should go. Elder Birkel, an assistant to the president was with them, helping them find in the area: We had the distinct impression to tract at a street called Margaret the next day. The area proved to be too broad, so we prayed to focus on a smaller area and knocked on the first door that we knew was Hmong, explaining who we were, and that we were there to teach the gospel. The woman who answered responded, 'I'm a Christian. My ex-husband's friend was a Mormon and taught him about a boy ordained to be a prophet. You want to come inside? There were three of us, so we went inside, prayed and taught her the plan of salvation. 'Do you know where we came from before this life?' We asked her. 'Yes, I know we were with God through the scriptures --- 'before I formed thee in the belly; I knew thee,'' she responded quoting several scriptures. Hmong people are not familiar with this concept; we were surprised and excited. She also mentioned that Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights she usually goes to a bible study class, but she felt she needed to stay home that night. We responded that we, too, had been praying about where to contact and felt directed to her home.

"'Yes,' she said, 'I think God made this appointment for us!' She had a question about where those go who do not know about Christ; she had been taught by her pastor that you could only accept the gospel here on the earth. We explained how our Heavenly Father had prepared a way for all to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, even after this life, and referred her to 1 Peter 3:18-20. She responded, 'I have read this scripture over and over and you guys have answered my question!!' She set an appointment next week to teach her, after identifying the spirit in our meeting by herself! She's amazing, and the Lord blesses us as we follow the counsel of our leaders."

Beaten with a spirit stick

Elder Forsyth (front and center) with his

greenie companion from Samoa

during May transfers

"So anyway, This last week has been crazy. Our mission is very busy. We are doing two things. One, they are changing the way missionaries teach and they are changing the way they teach missionaries in the MTC. It's all the same stuff from Preach My Gospel, but they are taking a much different approach to everything. They are teaching us how to receive revelation in the moment we need it, in the very middle of the lesson. It's absolutely incredible. We just got done with a 4 day leadership-training meeting in Bloomington. It was intense and amazing. It was like being beaten with the 'spirit-stick' 4 days straight lol. Then going out and applying it that very night. In addition I started a workout which is very intense called P-90X, it's very difficult and makes you very sore lol. Anyway, We were waking up at 5:30am to work out and then drive to Bloomington, and then from 9:05-3:45ish Mon-Thurs. Then President Howell taught us these lessons and roleplayed them with us. Then we drove back and spent the rest of the evening applying what we learned. It was absolutely incredible because it all works. They are literally teaching us how to be like Ammon and Alma and Nephi. It was a very in-depth discussion on the spirit and how it works and how to teach."

"These principles are going to guide me for the rest of my life. Anyway, all the Zone Leaders, District Leaders and Assistants (APs) were at this meeting, as well as trainers. All told we had 70+ missionaries, which is about a third of the missionaries in our mission. Our job is to go out and teach the rest of the missionaries what to do. I know that this is going to change the face of missionary work in Minnesota. In addition, our mission is chosen as a pilot mission for a new advertisement campaign that the church wants to run. Its going to focus a lot more on Mormon.org. They are going to implement this is the Twin Cities area. It will involve new television commercials, billboards, newspaper ads, etc. I think this will impact a lot of the mission. Anyway, hopefully they are going to launch this shortly. We had to fill out a survey (took 3 - 4 hours) about all of our investigators and referrals for their information."

Elder Forsyth's reaction to hearing about Elder Brandon's mission call to Singapore:
"Oh my gosh!!!!! I have been seriously jumping up and down out of my mind ever since I found out about Brandon's mission call!" (I think he's excited...)

An Obedient Army of the Lord

Elder Forsyth recently wrote home about success in the Minnesota-Minneapolis Mission.

"There's no point denying the power of the Lord's promises, because He always tells the truth. I've really been coming to understand the principle behind the scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants, 'I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say." As a missionary its our privilege to do the Lord's work and literally bind the Lord. When we have our Mission President or an Apostle promise us a blessing for keeping a commandment I make sure to write it down. the greatest thing is that you are SURE to get that desired blessing, because the Lord has promised that 'The Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men save He shall prepare a way for them to accomplish the thing which He commandeth them.' (Nephi 3:7) So, He gives a commandment and promises a blessing. He also promises that if we work our hardest and seek the spirit to guide us in that endeavor then He will prepare a way for us to accomplish that commandment, thereby securing the blessing for ourselves which He has promised. As I have come to understand this I have come to see how true it is."

Last June -- before Adam left the MTC for Minnesota, Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke to the missionaries of the Minnesota-Minneapolis Mission and issued them a challenge with a promise. They were commanded that if they would teach 20 lessons a week, they would see their baptism numbers double and that it would also change "the face of the church" or the way that people viewed the church. On average, at that time, their companionships were averaging 9.5 lessons per week, so they needed to more than double their efforts to reach their goal. Every companionship in the mission agreed to this commitment.

In March of this year, Sister Howell, the Mission President's wife, wrote in the mission blog: "We wanted to be the first mission in the millenium to teach 20 lessons per week, to be obedient to President Hinckley, President Monson and Elder Perry. At our Mission President's Conference (where Elder Perry was again present and presiding), President Howell asked the missionaries who had achieved this lofty goal to stand. The whole congregation of missionaries stood up at once! The meeting was web-cammed to the outskirts. The missionaries in the other meetings all stood as well --- ONE congregation. The spirit poured into the building. It was an obedient army of the Lord - standing in accounting to his apostle. Every companionship - with the exception of one missionary who had just arrived - had accomplished this goal!"

A few weeks ago, Elder Forsyth sent a letter home and shared that his companionship had taught 30 lessons that week and that Sacrament Meeting attendance in the St. Paul Hmong Branch has doubled since he first arrived there 6 months ago. He was also privileged to baptize and confirm the mother of 3 Hmong young women he had baptized several weeks before and also baptized one of her sons as well. He bore testimony that he truly does know that the Lord keeps his promises... even and especially those given through his prophets and apostles.

Hmong Food Fest - newly acquired culinary skills

This free invite made with Smilebox

7 baptisms in 2 months

Baptism of a Hmong boy. Elder Forsyth and Elder Hill found and helped

to reactivate the family and the father was able to carry out the ordinance

of baptism for his son. What a joy for that family!

A wonderful Hmong family that Elder Forsyth has been teaching. The mother is waiting to be baptized until her sons decide to commit... BUT-----

Here are her 3 beautiful daughters... Pa Ngia, Yer and Ia...

who entered the waters of baptism. My heart is overflowing.

Look how radiant they are.

Xaiv quov yog!

(Choose the Right)

From Elder Forsyth's last email...

"You know, I've really been seeing alot of miracles the past 4 months. I honestly believe it's because we're doing what God would have us do. I am trying my best to teach of Christ and center all I do on Christ. One important part of that is striving to obey the apostles words to us missionaries as well as President Howell's words. As we have done this, we've seen amazing results. This will be 7 baptisms within 2 months for the Branch, which is really huge. 6 of those are convert baptisms. It's really good for the members to see this. They're all getting a 'missionary fire' and a hope and zeal in their own lives. As we've been bringing members with us their own lives have been changed around as well. We've seen our best less-active program come by bringing the people with us to teach lol. They feel the spirit that comes through testimony. In the Doctrine and Covenants it talks about this. It says something along the lines that...When you bear testimony of Christ then angels record it in Heaven. Ye are sanctified through this testimony...Anyway, that's a terrible summary, but it's true. It's a principle. The testimony of Christ is the spirit of revelation. No one can have the spirit unless he is clean. You are cleansed through the spirit. SO, as we testify of Christ, we therefore receive the spirit which in turn cleanses us so that He can continue to dwell in our hearts. Isn't it amazing? That's why testimony meeting is so good I think, because we experience the cleansing power of the blood of Christ which comes through the Holy Ghost."

Happy Birthday, Elder Forsyth!!!!

In the news...

Elder Forsyth and his companion were assigned by President Howell to be "shadowed" for a day by a local newspaper reporter for the main Twin Cities newspaper. Here they are on an appointment with a Hmong family.

The Hmong NEW YEAR celebration in the Twin Cities!

All the Hmong Elders in the Twin Cities.

The Elders set up a booth at the Hmong New Year festivities

and got about 100 referrals.

Beautiful Hmong costumes.

Elder Forsyth looks good in pink!

Back at the apartment...

Elder Forsyth claims that living conditions are better on his mission than they were at home. Okay ---- if he's sleeping in BATHROOM, how bad were things at home? LOL

Actually, he wrote a very funny letter home telling us how great he has it on his mission...

no one steals his food, he only has to share the bathroom with one other person.

He'd better enjoy the "good life" while he has it.

Definitely not the Taj Majal!

Elder Forsyth & Elder Hill

Elder Forsyth has really enjoyed cooking while on his mission.

His favorite companion... (another) Elder Hill from CA.

At the "Frat House"

Elder Forsyth is in the Twin Cities

Elder Hadlock (l) and Elder Forsyth (r) with a Hmong member.

Elder Forsyth was recently transferred from La Crosse, Wisconsin to St. Paul, MN. He is looking forward to celebrating the Hmong New Year in St. Paul. He and the other Hmong missionaries will set up a booth and have the opportunity to mingle with 100,000 Hmong potential converts! The field is ripe, and they are ready. Here are a few excerpts from a recent email that Elder Forsyth sent home. In case you don't get the message... He. Loves. His. Mission.



"We have a Branch here of 60-80 members and it's just amazing. These people are so amazing and so humble it's unbelievable. You can feel the love radiating from all of them as you meet them. The old ladies are the best. They are such angels. It's impossible to not fall in love with these Hmong people. Their traditions and culture are so wonderful and they are the friendliest people I've ever met.



It's amazing here mom. There's so much dark and gloom everywhere and yet nothing even competes to the brightness of The Gospel of Jesus Christ! We taught a lesson the other day to this teenage boy who's older brothers are gang members. His older 2 brothers were shot and killed and his other 2 are in gangs. Anyway, they had like 10 of their buddies over while we were teaching and in the middle of our lesson we turned on The Restoration movie about Joseph Smith. It was so awesome to see 8 gangsters sitting around sipping beer and watching a movie on the Restoration. The spirit was way strong and they respect us alot. They know what we're about and the fact that we learn their language makes them respect us all the more. They're really all just lost kids at heart. They've seen alot of bad stuff and honestly, they were just thrown into a completely different world than they knew before. Alot of kids go their path, but that's what we're all about saving as many of them as we can. :)



Everything is set up for the avalanche to just hit. I feel such an amazing spirit here. You don't truly know what it means to love someone until you serve them with every fiber of your being and yearn for their eternal salvation. I love these Hmong people so much. They are such an amazing people. It's such an amazing opportunity to serve them! The world is in turmoil, but the gospel is being spread to every nation, kindred, and tongue! What a huge blessing we have to be members of the church and to receive the blessings of the temple! :)





Elder Forsyth also reports that while he hasn't been able to attend the temple yet, it is next door to his stake center, so he's looking forward to attending soon. He also had the opportunity to eat squirrel last week at one of his dinner appointments, but assures me that turkey will be on the menu for Thanksgiving.

First Pictures from the Mission Field

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Elder Forsyth ran into a few friends from back home...

The boys aren't "back in town", but they're all together again.

What I'd give to hear them sing!

(l-r: ?, Elder Mitch Westhoff, Elder Forsyth, Elder Sean Cardon

& the infamous Elder Kendall Monnett)

Elders Forsyth & Westhoff

If Mitch is this much taller than Adam, the Chinese

are going to break their necks looking up at him!

Wow! Lookc! Its (Elder) Goold!

cElder Taylor Manuele and Elder Forsyth

(where did all of Taylor's hair go???)

From the Mission Field...

Elder Forsyth's first area is in La Crosse, Wisconsin!

Adam lives on 6th Street, which is just 6 blocks away from this bridge that spans the great Mississippi River flowing out of Lake Onalaska. This pictures gives a good view of what winter will look like in a few months...

Elder Forsyth made it to the mission field in one piece, though barely. He writes of his travel...

"So today has been awesome/terrible. My attitude is great! I'm so excited to be here, but I'm sick. :-( I've had a head cold for two weeks, so waking up after three hours of sleep was no good. Also, I get sick on airplanes. No bueno! We had two separate flights. Honestly, its just a combination of being sick with the head cold. I had a headache, my stomach was going up and down, and I was dead tired. LOL! Oh, wait... I still am. Its all good. When we flew into Minneapolis it was raining hard core. Needless to say once the turbulence kicked in, I was a goner. I actually thought I was going to make it, but as soon as we touched ground, up came lots of fluids. Luckily, I didn't have breakfast. So the weather... WOW! Its downpouring! Seriously. Talk about a flood. Also, apparently, there are tornadoes in Southern Minneapolis, somewhere. Great stuff. Love it, though. :0) Its very muggy, but its also very good, temperature-wise.

The Mission President and his wife are awesome! What good people! I love the people involved in missionary work. :0) All of them are great!"

From a second page, written the following day...

"So my new companion is Elder Lauj. He's a native Hmong speaker, but he grew up in the U.S. so he knows both English and Hmong very well. I'm his first trainee so it'll be awesome. Best part? We're serving in La Crosse, Wisconsin! We're on the most eastern part of the mission boundaries. Elder Hill & Elder Hunter (his Hmong comps from the MTC) were sent to the big city (Minneapolis). There's just us, the two Hmong Elders, and four English Elders up here. Myself and Elder Lauj are with 2 Elders and we're in South La Crosse. The other 2 Elders are in Northern La Crosse. There's only 2 active families coming to church speaking Hmong, and then a few here and there. There's many less-actives, I guess. Can I just say that, honestly, I feel a great work to be done! I'm SO excited! So my new name is Elder Pab Zeb Xyoos. Zyooj is the last name of the woman who named me, so I take her name and become her "son" in a way here. Also, Pab Zeb means "rock" in English because she wants me to be steadfast and immovable in my diligence and commitments."

Elder Forsyth also writes...

"President Howell really has seen strong opposition from Satan in the Hmong area and says that it's because there is a such a great work to do. I agree with him! There is so much work to be done."

Elder Forsyth says that mail will get to him faster if you sent it to him directly...

Elder Adam Forsyth

1413 S. 6th Street #6

La Crosse, WI 54601

He also says not to send Fed Ex packages to the mission office, as they cannot forward them.

Opportunities Abound

Wow! Elder Forsyth's time in the MTC has just flown by. He has been incredibly busy. I'll share just a few of the highlights since I last updated this blog...

Elder Forsyth has certainly learned that the more you serve the more you love. He has had a lot of opportunities to serve his district and to help teach the gospel already. As Elder Forsyth first served as District Leader and then helped to train the new Zone Leaders and District Leader he found that one of the best ways was to just step back and let them do their job, which isn't always easy when others are looking to you to lead. He wrote home about a cute story with his companions who were made the new Zone Leaders. Everyone, including himself, was used to Adam leading out in the discussions, prayers, study, leaving for class, etc., etc., so there was a transition period when the new leadership changed. The new Zone Leaders were hesitant to lead out, and would still wait for Adam to cue them, so he decided that he was going to just sit back and let them do it. He wrote of the day things finally changed for them all...

It was temple day, and as they sat in the Celestial Room, Elder Forsyth decided that he would wait for his comps to make motion that it was time to go. They usually stayed there for 10 - 15 minutes after each endowment session they attended, until Elder Forsyth would get up and they would follow. Well - after about 10 minutes, he could see his companions looking at each other and looking at him, wondering when they should leave. Elder Forsyth just waited for them to lead out. FORTY-FIVE minutes later, after looking at each other and looking at Elder Forsyth, they finally got up, so Elder Forsyth went to follow them out. As they went to exit the room, they stopped to let him lead the way out, so he stopped, and they just stood there until everyone made the connection that the leadership had changed and it was time for the new leaders to lead.
He also was given the special opportunity, along with his district (four other Hmong speaking Elders) to call and contact all the non-members who filled out referral/interest cards as they went through the Oquirrh Mountain Open House. He had some great experiences bearing his testimony to a lot of people from all over.

In addition, a new Laotian-speaking missionary, Elder Harper, entered the MTC about a month ago. Adam was chosen by the President to take him under his wing and be his trainer as there wasn't another Laotian Elder to put him with. So, this meant meant that Elder Forsyth would now spend half his time studying, speaking, and teaching in Hmong and half in Laotian. What a neat experience, and a true answer to the father's blessing he received about a year ago. In that blessing, his father pronounced that he would speak in different languages and dialects. Well - Hmong has two main dialects that he'll use, and now he's learned some Laotian as well. What a testimony to the power of the priesthood.

Elder Forsyth was heavily depended upon by his Branch Presidency and grew to love them so much. He expressed that there were tears and hugs all around as they said farewells, and one of the counselors told him he was like a son to him. What a blessing to know that there are such good priesthood holders out there that honor that priesthood and can so diligently love and serve their fellow brothers. As Adam left for the mission field, he sent all of his letters and reports home. It was wonderful to read the reports that he wrote about the goals he had been setting and achieving, how he was learning to work with his companions, and the wonderful positive things his Branch Presidency wrote back to him. Each week's report showed a pattern of growth that was manifest through setting and achieving goals.

I will share some parts of his letters in my next posts. I had a hard time believing that this wonderful son could in anyway become more amazing than he already was. His testimony and faith have always been iron clad, but he grown SO much, especially in doctrine and in patience as he has learned to wait on the Lord. I can't wait to hear from him in the mission field.

First Pictures from Adam at the MTC

Adam's District in the MTC

(l-r) Elders Ramirez, Hill, Forsyth, Diaz, Hunter & Tuttle

(I did that all from memory. Am I amazing?)

Elder Ramirez and Adam had the Swine Flu together
Elder Ramirez was born in Chile, lived in Japan for 6 years, then went to college in Florida where he studied aerospace engineering and helped built a rocket ship for his internship this past semester. Elder Ramirez just converted to the church a year and a half ago, and is 23 years old. Adam has asked me to correspond with Elder Ramirez because he doesn't get much mail and his own mother died several years ago. In fact, Elder Ramirez came into Adam's room and remarked that he should "write to Adam's mom, because she always writes back." He seems like a remarkable young man, and I'm looking forward to writing him letters.

Adam with a few funnies from his care package from Mom

Elders Hunt, Hill & Forsyth (companionship)

They actually LOOK like missionaries in this picture!

Adam & the Apostle

Adam gets to meet one of his idols... Apostle David Bednar

Here is the really good part of Adam's recent email... He's obviously out of quarantine, over the swine flu, and back to work! That all makes him one happy Elder. Here's part of his email letter dated June 16, 2009.

"So I had a VERY interesting week. You won't believe it haha. So I sent Elder Bednar a letter in regards to his CES broadcast that he gave back in May. Well last Tuesday night our guest speaker happened to be Elder Bednar. Anyway, I told him in my letter about mine and Brandon's experience and then I told him about my family and mission, etc. Anyway, so his wife spoke first and gave a great talk and then he stood up to speak to us 2,400+ missionaries and started it by saying, "Before I begin I have two matters of business to get to. First, is there an Elder Adam Forsyth here?" lol...yeah...I am being serious. I kinda waved my arm and stood up and he said, "So Elder Forsyth you're going to the Minneapolis Minnesota Mission, Hmong speaking correct?" I said yes and then he said, "Well I got your letter and I just wanted to tell you that you and your brother have got it down. I hope the rest of your siblings will follow your wonderful example."...then he went on to other stuff...but yeah, lol it was awesome. I was sitting in the choir and the kid next to me gave me a look like I was michael jordan lol. So in addition to getting swine flu and being one of 5 hmong speakers, I'm now "best buds" with Elder Bednar lol. I seriously have had so many random Elders/Sisters come up to me and start asking questions and stuff lol. It's pretty funny actually.

Anyway, so I was minding my own business and checked the mail on Thursday morning. The first letter was from Aunt Chris and then I checked the next one and in the top left hand corner is stamped

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

47 East South Temple Street

....etc.

Needless to say I looked like a 7 year-old on Christmas morning lol. Anyway, I opened it up and it's addressed to me and it says:

"Dear Elder Forsyth:

Thank you for your recent letter. I was grateful to hear of your experience being "liberated" and the changes that have come into your life as you have been obedient to the commandments of the Lord. You are to be commended for having "ears to hear". I am glad that you were strengthened by the talk given in the recent CES Fireside for Young Adults. May the Lord bless you as you put into practice the things you learned from the message that was presented. As you are aware, there are souls waiting to receive the message of the restoration. You will be blessed as you serve with faith and diligence as a full-time missionary and in preparation for your "lifelong mission". I extend to you my warm regards and best wishes. May you serve the Lord with all you might and strength and build up the kingdom in the Minneapolis Minnesota Mission. The Lord will bless and strengthen you and expand your capacities as you reach out to others in faithful service.

Sincerely,

David A Bednar"

Yeah and it totally had his signature...pretty awesome stuff haha. So that was awesome to get that letter. Haha definitely a keeper. So In the RC (referral center) I had an awesome experience!!! I was on the phones doing outbound calls (ok working for dad has helped me so much in doing RC) and it was pretty sweet. The first lady I talked to had requested a movie, "Finding Faith in Christ" and I was supposed to confirm it and offer her a BoM. So I asked her how she felt about the movie and she said she had only seen about half of it, but she really enjoyed it. I then just started bearing my testimony to her about Christ and His mortal ministry. I then went further and went into the restoration. I talked about Joseph Smith and I quoted James 1:5 (she actually looked it up!) and then I quoted the first vision to her. She then asked "Wait, I thought no one has seen God's face and lived." I was kinda flustered, but I remembered Moses so I told her about how he saw God face to face. (exodus 33:11). I couldn't remember that scripture at the time so I just bore testimony that she could find out if this was true for herself. I told her that this is done through the BoM and I related the BoM story and asked if she wanted one brought by the missionaries. she said she was very interested and that was that! It was so awesome! anyway I have 1 minute and 30 seconds left, but I want you to know I love this gospel and I know it is true! I love everything about this work!

Keep in touch (by letters) and keep it real! haha love you all!

Love,

Elder Adam Forsyth

Mom's 2 cents' worth...

Isn't his enthusiasm contagious?!! BTW, what Adam had written Elder Bednar about was that he and his brother, Brandon, had been so inspired by his words at the CES Fireside, they went home and deleted their computer game accounts and got rid of them completely. I almost couldn't believe it when they told me. I went downstairs when they got home to find out about the fireside, and they were both just giddy... seriously. They were so excited about making this choice. For a long time I had counselled with them about their game playing... real life vs. a false one, but I felt so strongly that as long as they weren't doing anything immoral... they needed that opportunity to make that choice.

Its so hard as a parent to stand by and watch children make choices that you would rather they not make (and yes, I understand I have VERY little experience in this as my kids are so good), but I have an even stronger testimony that if we have faith in our children and encourage them to be standing in holy places (like CES Firesides) they will hear the words of the Lord through His servants, the prophets and apostles, and that Spirit will work in their lives and move them to do a good that no begging, pleading, or forcing on our parts could ever accomplish. When we force, children may act as we wish, but only when they are within our reach. When we teach with love and let children make their own decisions, we allow the Spirit to work on their hearts and the child is changed forever. Being a parent takes tremendous faith... just ask Heavenly Father. I don't know how He does it. I don't mean that glibly. He truly lets us make our own decisions, and as parents we need to allow our children more opportunities to do this while they're young so they get that experience.

Elder Forsyth has the swine flu

Poor little piggy!

We received a second letter from Elder Forsyth this week, and as soon as we received it I knew we shouldn't be getting a second letter, and that "something was up". (My guess was that Adam had indeed contrated the swine flu. Opening his letter confirmed my suspicions. A mother always knows!) Adam had written in his previous letter that "On Saturday I prayed that my companions and myself would have the opportunity to exercise the priesthood. On Saturday I began to feel like I had a sore throat. It was very minor, but it persisted from Sunday to Monday. Monday morning I had a distinct feeling to ask for a blessing from my companions. I shrugged it off because I really feel like it wasn't that big an issue, but I still felt prompted to ask for a blessing. Sunday night at the fireside the speaker told a story which pretty much led to the principle to never ignore a feeling or impression from the Spirit. So, I said to myself that I would follow this counsel. So I asked for a blessing adn again it said "obey with exactness and the Lord will do the rest." This built my faith in following the Spirit and it also allowed my companions to exercise their priesthood. It was a faith building experience for me."

Adam has been quite ill with fevers, chills, congestions and discomfort that makes it hard to sleep, but he is grateful that he won't have to worry about getting the swine flu now! I, too, am grateful that he is being well cared for, and doesn't have to face this while in Minnesota with just a companion to help care for him. I wouldn't want him to be sent home for the world, as he is exactly where he wants to be and just loves it so much. Temporarily, he in isolation with 35 other missionaries, housed in a completely separate building. He says its giving him a chance to really study on his own, which he loves. He's reading his Hmong scriptures and studying Preach My Gospel. In his letter from Tuesday, there were 17 missionaries in quarantine, but as of writing the letter the next day, the numbers had doubled to 35. We'll definitely keep all those missionaries in our prayers and will fast for them.

Adam feels there is a purpose in this... in the missionaries getting sick now. Time will tell what that purpose is. The Lord DOES protect His missionaries. I just LOVE his letters. They are so full of the spirit of His work and Adam's love for his Savior and Heavenly Father. What a blessing his letters are to me, and what a joy to have such a son.

God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again

Make a Smilebox photobook

Can YOU learn a language in ONE DAY?

Its amazing, but on the two different days I was feeling really melancholy and missing Adam, I received a letter and an email. Didn't get anything the other days... just when I needed it most. I'm just going to share an excerpt here...

"Believe it or not, but yesterday we learned how to read and write in Hmong. In one day we learned how to read and write. Not even kidding I can now look at almost every one of the 56,000 Hmong words and pronounce it correctly. I only know the definition of about 100-200, but I could still say it! It's amazing what the Spirit can do! Haha it was funny because I was having a hard time in class yesterday pronouncing the letter C and R and I was getting kinda mad at myself and my teacher just laughed. He said, "Elder Forsyth you learned how to read and write an entire written alphabet system in one day and you are getting frustrated from your lack of knowledge in Hmong?!"...lol. We all had a pretty good laugh. Yeah, it was awesome though."

"We've had such marvelous experiences already here at the MTC. I love this place. My testimony of the gospel has grown so much. Even more so has my knowledge grown. I feel on fire right now, literally. I'll tell you about that in my letter though :) I love you family! I hope you enjoyed my "brief" lesson on Hmong. Love you all dearly! TTYL"

-Love Elder Adam Forsyth

Elder Forsyth's first letter home

We received Elder Forsyth's first letter. I will just say that it was addressed to "Steve Forsyth", but I will be correcting THAT error in address as Steve will probably read Adam's letter once, and I'll re-read it until the paper is worn! LOL

So here's his letter...

Dear Family!

So today was day one of the best days of my life! Its been absolutely amazing! Its been a long day, but way awesome! I met with another [Hmong] speaker in line named Elder Josh Hunter from Calgary, Canada. He ended up being one of my companions actually. I say 'one of' because Elder Hill was also called to be my companion, so we make a three-some. That's kind of nice because we only have 3 to a room instead of 4, so we have lots of room. There are 5 new Hmong speakers including myself in our district. We have 5 districts in our branch. It is an awesome branch, I'm going to love it here! I already do! The spirit has been extremely strong today throughout our meetings. I'm so blessed to have this opportunity! They called me as a District Leader (DL) over our 5 Hmong Elders, so I already have a great chance to serve in a leadership capacity. I emphasize serve because that is truly what I will be doing here.

Our zone leaders are awesome! They actually transfer out in a week, so a companionship was called to take over for them. Anyway, sorry that this is so short. I have a lot ot do and I need to get to bed. Obedience with exactness!... The church is true! Of this I have no doubt. I urge all of you to grow closer to Our Savior. Through Him and no one else can we be saved and raised up to receive eternal salvation. I love you all very much. Give Nathan a hug for me. To the children: love your parents. They're amazing and I love them so much! Hug them often. Thank you for your prayers and support! They are felt. :-) Love you all! Pray often! Or better yet, pray always!

Love,
Elder Forsyth

P.S. Mom, get my address to RaeAnn and others please. Thanks! :-)

A Young Man Prepared

We LOVE our missionary!

He's got that look...

Elder Forsyth (and the rest is in Hmong)

So excited to walk through that door --- FINALLY!

The obligatory picture in front of the MTC sign.

Proud Papa!

Grateful Mom! I just love this young man!

Adam... trying to sneak into the SL temple. We had a wonderful time there on Tuesday. We first did baptisms & confirmations with Aubrey & Cody. Then, Steve, Adam & I went through a live endowment session while Aubrey & Cody explored Temple Square and the Visitor's Center.
There is no feeling better in the entire world than being in the temple with your family!

A wonderful day at the Salt Lake temple.

My Missionary Man!

This blog is being kept by Adam's mother, to share with friends, family, and the world, the testimony and missionary efforts of her eldest son, Elder Adam Prescott Forsyth, as he goes out into the world to share his great love for the Savior, as he serves a 2 year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Adam has been called to serve in the Minnesota Minneapolis Mission (Hmong speaking). Adam entered the Missionary Training Center (MTC) today, May 27, 2009. It was a bittersweet moment, mostly filled with joys and a few tears. What a blessing to have a son SO well prepared and eager to serve the Lord. The day we left for the MTC (Tuesday), Adam finished the Book of Mormon for the 10th time on his own! He is a great student of the gospel, and loves his Savior very much.

Adam has further prepared himself by attending 13 endowment sessions since being endowed on April 2nd. We spent Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning in the Salt Lake and Draper, UT temples, respectively. We did baptisms, confirmations and endowment sessions in Salt Lake, but only had time to do baptisms and confirmation in the Draper temple. Adam really enjoyed performing the ordinance of baptism in the Draper temple for Aubrey & Cody (who stood in as proxies for those deceased persons). I teased Adam that he'll be able to go into the MTC with 20 baptisms under his belt already!


Most future posts will be excerpts from Adam's letters, but we'll have to wait until Adam has time to write. Here are a few pictures of the past few days...